Probation for ex-Boys & Girls Club head

Nov. 30, 2009

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Clifford Polston, former head of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tustin, talks to his attorney during sentencing this morning at Orange County Superior Court. Polston pleaded guilty to stealing money from the club and creating a fake job for his wife. SAM GANGWER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Clifford Polston, former head of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tustin, was sentenced to three years of probation today in Orange County Superior Court. SAM GANGWER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Clifford Polston, former head of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tustin, talks to his attorney during sentencing this morning at Orange County Superior Court. Polston pleaded guilty to stealing money from the club and creating a fake job for his wife. SAM GANGWER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

SANTA ANA - Clifford Polston, former head of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tustin, was sentenced today to probation and community service.

Polston, 60, pleaded guilty in November to grand theft and a sentencing enhancement for taking funds exceeding $50,000. Polston took $114,000 from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tustin. He used about $33,000 to pay personal credit cards. And Polston took $75,000 for a fictitious job that Polston created in his wife's name

He'll be on probation for three years and must complete 200 hours of community service at the Southwest Community Center in Santa Ana. Polston also is not allowed any contact with staff or members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tustin.

Polston also must pay fees totaling $260, besides the $140,000 plus 10 percent interest dating to November 2007 already paid to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tustin using the proceeds from a life insurance policy purchased for him by the group.

"The social disgrace brought upon you has been devastating, but I think society feels comfortable when punishment is imposed," said Judge Erick L. Larsh, adding that Polston's actions were morally bankrupt.

Deputy District Attorney Jan Christie said Polston's credit card charges were less than they'd originally thought, so the amount Polston paid matches the amount he stole from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tustin.

He had been facing a maximum of four years in state prison. If the case had gone to trial, Polston could have received a maximum sentence of 20 years, Christie said.

"I'm of the opinion you should go to prison," Larsh said. "It's a great amount of money, and not only was it taken from a company you were working for in a position of trust, it was taken from the Boys & Girls Club."

Polston worked at the Boys & Girls Clubs as chief professional officer from 1977 to 2007, when he resigned after being confronted by the board of directors regarding suspicious financial transactions. The board became aware of the transactions during an audit in spring 2007, according to the District Attorney's Office.

"One of the most difficult things in life might be to realize that your faith and trust in someone leading your non profit organization, with a past history of great works, would decide for no apparent reason to embezzle funds directed towards serving children in the community we live in," reads a statement by Gary A. Green, Chief Volunteer Officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tustin. "It is a loss that can never be measured simply by the dollars taken from our bank account. This act will forever be a negative chapter of our organization's history."

Polston was the 1983 Man of the Year in Tustin and has two daughters and one son.

"I'm shocked and disappointed by what he did, but at the same time I don't think it was necessary that he would get jail time," said Kimberly Bass, a family friend and the Woman of the Year for 2008. "I don't think he poses a threat to society."

Marisa Charette, former head of the Tustin Chamber of Commerce, said she was still digesting the news.

"I think he's done a lot for the community for years and years," Charette said. "We're all human. The sentence was given, and I think we should all move forward from this point on."

"Our hope for nonprofits is that folks understand the checks and balances we've got in place," said Tustin Public Schools Foundation executive director Carol Burby Garrett, who does not know Polston. "We want to make sure people know their money is well taken care of."

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